A Constant Vigil
by SkepticalBeliever
Summary: A collection of one-shots in honor of my favorite duo. Will add more as I see fit. "I was always destined to find the Avatar; meeting you was something else entirely."
1. Chapter 1

**Happenstance**

The Sun, shimmering a fiery orange in the summer heat, began its slow descent below the horizon. Inside the halls of the Fire Nation palace, servants were bustling about the corridors; Sokka was sneaking off with Suki; Toph had challenged Uncle Iroh to a surprisingly close game of Pai Sho, which Aang observed eagerly; and Mai and Katara remained Ty Lee's captive audience as she animatedly recounted her bonding experience with the Kyoshi Warriors. For the first time in one hundred years, the world seemed almost right.

Zuko smiled softly, glancing through the crack in the door as he passed Mai's room where the girls were chatting and laughing amongst themselves. It was an odd picture at first glance: elegant, if not impassive, Mai sharing tea with Katara, the fierce healer, who, in turn, listened with rapt attention as the ever-bubbly Ty Lee reenacted a particularly fearsome incident at the circus. Funny how these girls, so different from one another, could come to coexist relatively peacefully, even become friends.

Katara caught Zuko's gaze; she offered him a bemused smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders. _It's weird to me, too._

Zuko smirked and continued on his way, tucking the small loaf of bread he had pilfered from the kitchens under his arm. The garden with its sweeping lawn and serene pond beckoned to him. He settled under the weeping moon-peach tree and began absently tearing the bread into bite-sized pieces. The turtle-ducks, long accustomed to the new Fire Lord's presence, paddled toward him, quacking happily in greeting.

 _Perhaps it wasn't so strange,_ Zuko mused, tossing the crumbs into the water. _After all, if Katara and_ I _could be friends, anything is possible._

He leaned back against the trunk, lost in thought. His uncle had told him many times over the past four years that destiny was a funny thing. Looking back, Zuko found he had to agree. Everything about his journey seemed carved into his very makeup. The conflict between his great-grandfathers came full circle in him. Finding Aang, envying Aang, and eventually joining and befriending Aang—it was always meant to happen that way. Of that, he was certain.

Then there were things he was less certain about—events that could be chalked up to destiny, but could just as easily be attributed to chance. Things like Katara.

He had not noticed her back then, had scarcely acknowledged her existence. He had noticed her grandmother, her annoying brother (now one of his best friends), and Aang, but not her. It was not until he found her necklace lying on the ground that he even gave her a second thought. However, from that moment, she seemed as inextricably linked to his fate as Aang. In his moments of greatest weakness, she was his greatest obstacle, his greatest ally. At times, it felt almost as if he were following her as much as Aang. Yet, unlike Aang where he felt a constant pull towards the Avatar and his greater destiny, there was always an element of choice with Katara. He could have chosen to side with her against Azula in Ba Sing Se and they could have skipped all the hostilities that followed. When he finally joined the Avatar, he could have disregarded her opinion and just focused on helping Aang master fire bending. He could have let Azula's lighting strike her, as horrible as that would have been, and taken his sister out himself.

So was meeting her destiny or a happy accident?

"Are you okay?"

Zuko stiffened, roused from his reverie. Katara stood a few feet away, blinking her wide blue eyes with concern.

"Of course. Why?"

"You're clutching your wound and a second ago, you looked like you were in pain."

Zuko glanced down and saw that he was in fact gripping his robes just above the fresh bandages Katara had applied earlier. The wound was mostly sealed but Katara had warned him to take it easy so as not to reopen the wound, a souvenir from his battle with Azula.

He dropped his hand and met her gaze. "I'm fine. I was just thinking." The water bender dropped down onto the grass next to him, her head inclined. "About destiny," he added, answering her silent question.

She surprised him by taking his hand. "You did it, you know? Fulfilled your destiny—trained the Avatar, saved the world, regained your crown and all that."

Zuko smiled, glancing down at her hand clutching his. "You were ready to end my destiny. Permanently, if memory serves me right."

"Only if you pissed me off," she said, nudging his elbow playfully.

"Well, by that definition, you should have killed me every other day. At least."

"Probably."

They both broke out into a fit of laughter. It amazed both of them how lightly they could discuss such topics when mere weeks before it would have set both their teeth on edge. Zuko met Katara's gaze as the laughter faded away. She was smiling at him, her blue eyes sparkling softly in the dying light of the Sun. He squeezed her had gently. "I was always destined to find the Avatar; meeting you was something else entirely."

The air around them seemed to shimmer. Katara's eyes widened and a blush bloomed on her cheeks. _She's really pretty_ , Zuko noted for perhaps the hundredth time in his head. He swallowed thickly.

"Zuko, I—"

"Guys, you'll never believe what just happened!" Aang's voice rang from the window. The air bender waved his arms excitedly, trying to draw their attention.

Whatever spell had them in its grip moments prior had shattered. Both glanced away from each other; Katara withdrew her hand from Zuko's grasp. She stood, dusting off her tunic. "What is it, Aang?" she called.

"Toph just beat Iroh in Pai Sho! I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen the whole thing!" From his place on the ground, Zuko could see the boy practically bouncing with excitement.

"That's great, Aang. We'll be right in."

Katara turned to Zuko, extending her hand. "Come on, Fire Lord. Let's go see what all the fuss is about."

He sighed, accepting her offer and stood. He held her gaze a moment longer than necessary and followed her back inside the palace.

* * *

 **AN:** Hey, everyone and happy Zutara Week! I hope you enjoyed my first drabble and I'd love to hear your feedback. Also, for anyone wondering, I have not abandoned _An Arrangement_ or _Begin Again_. I fully intend to finish both of those in addition to the Zutara week prompts. I just find myself in the midst of a life transition so I haven't been able to write as frequently as I would like. Anyway, please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**The Secret Keeper**

It might have been the extra spring in Katara's footsteps. Then again, she was a naturally optimistic person and carried herself with equal buoyancy. It might have been Zuko's newfound habit of whistling a jaunty tune as he performed the most mundane of tasks. However, the new Fire Lord had a lot to be chipper about these days, so perhaps the whistling was a byproduct of his new good fortune. Maybe it was the lingering glances that passed between them at dinner.

Or it might have been the hickey Katara surreptitiously tried to cover with the collar of her tunic.

Suki might not have been as intuitive as Toph when it came to reading people's emotions, but she was more than acquainted with the giddy grin that graced Katara's lips. Something was _definitely_ going on with her. The girl had smitten written all over her face. She cocked a brow as Katara, once again, fiddled with her collar, humming absently as they meandered through the market.

"You seem to be in a good mood," the Kyoshi warrior ventured casually. "What's gotten into you lately?"

Katara shrugged. "Oh, you know. Beautiful day." She turned to a street vendor and examined the mangoes closely.

Suki eyed the gathering storm clouds dubiously. Perhaps she needed to be a little more direct. Katara always responded to light prodding. "You know, I haven't seen you like this since you and Aang were a thing. Are you seeing someone?" Suki smirked as her friend stiffened beside her.

"N-no! Of course not!"

Suki snorted. "You are! Is he _hot_? Does he light your _fire_?"

"Stop! Why would you even think that?" The water bender's cheeks blushed.

"Because you have been trying to cover a hickey the size of this mango all afternoon," Suki laughed, picking up the fruit and tossing it to Katara. Her friend's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink.

Katara's mouth opened and closed several times, searching for an appropriate response to quell the smug grin stretching across Suki's face. "This?" She pointed to the bruise at the base of her neck. "This was just a…a bending injury!"

"I'm sure it was." The warrior's violet eyes glittered with mirth as she continued down the road.

"It was!" Katara replied, petulant.

"If you say so."

* * *

Zuko peppered kisses down Katara's slender neck. The young Fire Lord and the master water bender were huddled in a corner behind a large pillar and a rather bushy fern. Katara gripped his shoulders, sighing breathily. She felt his lips brush against her skin, tugging into a self-satisfied grin.

" _Shhh_ …" he hushed her, nipping lightly on her collarbone.

She swatted him lightly. "Hey, _careful_!"

He glanced up at her, mien shifting quickly to remorse. "Did I hurt you?" he murmured.

"No," she replied stroking his face, "but I really don't need you marking me up any more than you already have."

His eyes followed to where her fingers rested at the base of her neck, landing on the large bruise. He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, Katara. I really didn't mean to."

"I know. I just don't need Sokka freaking out. Suki's insinuations were bad enough and—"

"Wait," Zuko said, eyes widening, " _Suki_ knows?"

Katara shrugged heavily and sighed. "I don't know how much she _knows_ , but she definitely suspects something's up. All afternoon she kept teasing me about _this_ monstrosity and making vague puns about fire and hot men. I tried to throw her off the trail but lying really isn't my strong suit…"

"What if we just told everyone?" Zuko's voice was soft and his eyes searched hers. He took her hand and entwined their fingers. "Katara," he said, finding courage in her open expression, "I am proud to be with you. I've never been happier than I have been these past few weeks and that's largely because of you. I want to share that with the others and…if Suki suspects anything, then you know she's probably at least mentioned it to your brother, and we both know how that will go if he gets ideas in his head before we can properly explain ourselves."

"You're probably right," Katara acquiesced. She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But do we have to tell them now? Because I'd really rather not have that conversation before Sokka and Toph have had dinner."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "How about tomorrow? That'll give us one more night of sneaking around. One last hurrah."

"I do enjoy the sneaking," Katara said lightly, smirking cheekily up at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."

* * *

Suki pushed away from her spot on the wall where she had been hiding and wandered back toward her room. She had stumbled upon the lovers' conversation midway and had been afraid of disturbing them. She listened intently as the couple discussed their future; her heart swelled for her friends at Zuko's warm admission. _They're cute_ , she thought, smiling wistfully.

 _Okay, Katara. You win. I won't tell Sokka before you do. But you bet your bending I will want details as soon as you and Zuko go public._

 _I think it's time for a girls' night._

* * *

 **Author Note:** I have not written in a while and am a bit rusty. I would really appreciate any constructive feedback you have. Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

**At the End of All Things**

" _To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die"_

Zuko listened to Iroh's strategy without really absorbing any of it; he understood the gist. The White Lotus was to reclaim Ba Sing Se; Sokka would lead the girls in taking out the air ships; he would confront Azula.

He hid his trepidation well, schooling his features into a mask of quiet determination. Only the trembling of his fingers betrayed his anxiety. Azula was his sister. He loved her. He hated her. If he had any ambitions of living beyond this day, he would have to beat her. He swallowed a hard lump.

Iroh continued speaking, laying out the best approach for Sokka to take. Sokka interjected frequently, politely disagreeing with the former general's strategy and offering alternatives of his own. Zuko watched them, his uncle and his best friend. It struck him that this could be the last time he heard his uncle's confusing proverbs or Sokka's harebrained schemes coupled with bad jokes. He desperately wished he could join them, to remain by their sides until the end because he had never had a brother before and he had only just got his uncle back. But no. They had their roles to play, and he had his.

His eyes slid to Suki—brave, intelligent, unfailingly kind Suki. She would keep the others out of trouble. If they somehow found themselves in a mess, he knew he could trust her to clean it up and then kick Sokka's ass for him when it was all over. The Kyoshi Warrior met his gaze steadily, offering him a subtle nod, a promise. He returned it gratefully. _Bring them home_.

Toph seemed to be the only one unperturbed by the situation. A smirk stretched across her face, still soft and round from adolescence. She cracked her knuckles absently. One way or another, she knew that it would all end today; she seemed oddly contented by this notion. A twinge of envy struck him. He wished he could borrow that unwavering confidence; he would need it in his fight against Azula, but Toph would need it more.

He had saved his reflections of her for last, though he doubted he did so consciously. Katara sat across from him, her eyes downcast, hair falling around her face, and mouth pressed in a hard line. Tension rolled off her slight shoulders in waves. She was a powder keg waiting for a match.

How far had they come? The young woman before him scarcely resembled the tentative girl he had met all those months ago. Back then, she could barely wield her element in her hand, let alone use it against anyone. Now one arm could strike with the force of a hurricane while the other gently applied the water's soothing balm. He knew her hands were rough, worn from training and exertion, speckled with little white nicks and cuts. He knew her arms were both strong and gentle. He knew that, while she wielded water, her heart blazed with fire.

Everything she is, she made for herself.

He openly gazed at her, taking in her worn hands, strong arms, thick curls, and downcast eyes. She was unlike anyone he had ever met, more himself than he was. An emotion stronger than the fear he felt for his uncle and Sokka, the gratitude he felt for Suki, or the envy he felt for Toph gripped him. Were it not for her, he would still be sailing around the world on a fool's errand. When she cracked open that iceberg, she set his world into motion. His life, his destiny was inextricably bound with hers.

He spoke her name and she looked up sharply, drawn out of her reverie. For a fleeting moment, everything else faded from view and there was only them, two spirits tethered to one another in ways that they could not yet fully understand. He idly wondered what she saw as she gazed at him; he saw confusion, curiosity, and something else, which flickered away too quickly for him to identify.

He asked her to join him. The answering curve of her lips was all the answer he needed. She had set his world into motion. It seemed only fitting that there, at the end of all things, she would stand beside him to meet its conclusion.

" _To die by your side, well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine."_


End file.
